“Aw, come on, Wilder, I just wanted to see you all wet.”
I choked on a laugh. Tessa turned bright red and bent to cover Taylor’s daughter’s ears. “They’re all going to get sent home from school on their first day for saying inappropriate things.”
Taylor rolled her eyes. “First day of kindergarten, I got called into the office because Cooper said s-h-i-t. I almost murdered Walker.”
Kennedy sent me a wavering smile before turning back to our group. I reached out and gave her hand a squeeze. She and Cain had been going through the foster-to-adopt program and had gotten their hearts broken more times than I could count. “At least we know we’ll never be bored.”
As my gaze traveled around the group, I couldn’t help but think about how my friendship bucket overflowed. I’d landed in this amazing community. Yet, I still felt unsettled. As if I were waiting for the other shoe to drop. Countless years had passed, and I was still waiting. Maybe I always would be.
“I toldKenz I would take over for her on dishes.”
I jolted at the deep timbre of Mason’s voice, almost dropping the dish I was putting into the dishwasher. “Hasn’t anyone told you that sneaking up on a woman is a bad idea? You could’ve gotten a knee to the junk.”
The corner of his mouth kicked up. “I wasn’t sneaking, but I’ll keep that warning in mind.”
I bit the inside of my cheek. I didn’t need my mouth running away from me any more than it already had.
“I’ll rinse. You put in the dishwasher?”
He looked so damn hopeful. Like a puppy I couldn’t bear to kick.Nice. Normal.I repeated the words in my mind. “Sure.”
“You would’ve thought I’d asked for a kidney, not to help with the dishes.”
“I had a system down.”
“And I’m forever messing up your systems.”
He was, damn it. Messing up my carefully boundaried life with his smiles and offers of help. With his ideas for the shelter. And, even more infuriatingly, they were usually good ones. The personal alarms he’d offered to the tenants had given them an extra sense of safety I hadn’t seen coming.
I slid the plate I was holding into its appropriate slot. “You are kind of an interfering bastard.”
Mason barked out a laugh. “At least, you’re honest.”
“But I think your heart is in the right place.”
He turned to face me, clutching at his chest. “Anna, was that a compliment?”
My face heated, and I grabbed a bowl from his other hand. “I’ll take it back if you keep this up.”
“Okay, I’ll shut up. I just wish I’d had a recorder running. It might be the only one I get from you.”
God, I could be a bitch. But it was only when something hammered against my defenses. And this man, he was a threat to them all. “At this rate, it will be.”
He chuckled and pulled another dish from the stack, washing off the excess food before handing it to me. “Just you wait. I’m going to win you over with my wit and charm.”
I blinked up at him. “Charm? Wit? Are you talking about Tuck?”
“You wound me.”
I couldn’t help the curve of my lips as I put the dish in the washer. “I’m sure I’m the only one.” I knew plenty of women in town had their eyes on the bachelor. From what I’d heard, Mason had been on a handful of dates, but nothing had ever gotten serious. I wanted to know why. Did he have some crazy standards that no one could possibly live up to? Was he intent on being a bachelor forever? As I studied him out of the corner of my eye, I didn’t feel that either scenario really fit.
“The only one who what?”
“Wounds you.”
His brows pulled together. “You certainly seem to be my toughest critic.”
Shit. I’d been harder on him than I’d intended. Time to rein it in. My phone buzzed in my back pocket, and I slid it out. I didn’t recognize the number or area code, but I answered anyway. It wouldn’t have been the first time I’d gotten a call asking if we could place a resident from somewhere out of state.
